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Cleaning and Shucking Shellfish

Several forms of shellfish, including such favorites as crabs,
scallops, lobsters, shrimp, and periwinkles may be purchased live in
the shell. They will need to be cleaned or shucked. In most cases the
only tool you'll need is a knife or kitchen shears. To clean
crabs, the first step is to turn the crab upside down and grasp the
legs on one side with one hand. With your other hand, lift the flap
and pull back and down to remove the top shell. Now turn the crab
right side up and remove the intestines and gills. Pull the claws and
legs off and remove any meat that clings to the claws. Remove the
meat from the top of the inner skeleton with your knife. Remove the
meat on the back of the crab with a slicing, digging motion of your
knife. You can remove the meat from any pockets with the point of
your knife. Finally, crack the claw shell and remove the meat there.

To shuck oysters, you will need an oyster knife and a pair of gloves.
An oyster knife has a strong wedge-shaped blade that is designed to
withstand the force necessary to open oysters. The first step is to
rinse the oyster. Then grasp the oyster with one hand, holding the
hinged side toward your other hand. Look for the small crevice that
is situated at the hinge. Slip the oyster knife into this crevice and
twist, cutting the hinge. After the hinge is broken, slide the knife
along the shell and sever the abductor muscle. Now remove the top
shell. Carefully slip the knife under the oyster and cut the muscle
from the bottom shell. Clean away any shell particles or other
debris. For very large oysters it may be necessary first to break the
thin end of the shell with a hammer to make an opening for the knife.
After this is done, follow the

previous procedure.

To shuck a scallop, grasp it so that the shell's hinge rest against
your palm. Slip a thin, strong knife inside the shell near the hinge
and twist. Be careful not to force the shell open, for this will tear
the muscle. Lift the top side of the shell and cut the muscle from
the top shell. After removing the top shell, clean out the viscera by
gripping the scallop between your thumb and knife blade and pulling.
Everything but the edible white scallop meat should be removed. Cut
the muscle from the remaining shell and wash the meat in cold water.

To clean boiled lobster or prepare green lobster for

baking use the following instructions. First, lay the lobster on its
back. Using a sharp knife, cut the lobster in half lengthwise. Next
remove the stomach, being sure to also remove the intestinal vein
which runs from the stomach to the tail. Clean the body cavity
thoroughly by rinsing with cold water. The green lobster is now
ready for baking. If the lobster is boiled and you need to remove the
meat from the shell, take a sharp knife and loosen the meat from the
edges of the shell. Use a fork to get hold of the meat at the tail,
then remove it by lifting upward and pulling the meat toward the
head, away from the shell.

To clean shrimp for simmering, hold the tail section in one hand while
positioning the swimmerettes down toward the palm of your hand.
Insert one blade of kitchen shears into the sand vein opening, and
cut through the shell along the outer curve to the end of the tail.
Remove the meat by pulling the sides of the shell apart. Clean
thoroughly in cold water.

Cleaning shrimp for broiling is a slightly different process. First,
place the shrimp on a cutting board with the swimmerettes exposed.
Using a sharp knife, cut between the swimmerettes through the meat to
the shell. Spread the shell until it lies flat, and wash thoroughly
in cold water.

To remove the meat of periwinkles, steam or boil them in salted water
until they begin to emerge from their shells. Now, with a lobster
pick or similar, pointed object, pry out the meat. Their operculum,
the clear trap door, is not edible and if it did not fall off during
steaming, should be removed. The periwinkles may be eaten right
after boiling.

: About the Author

Adam Starchild has combined business travel with discovering the
delights of native dishes from Hawaii and Hong Kong to Russia and the
Caribbean. He is the author of The Seafood Heritage Cookbook (Cornell
Maritime Press), co-author of another seafood cookbook, and the
author of a number of food and cooking articles.
Submitted By BARRY WEINSTEIN On 08-30-95

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